I’ve made no secret of my family’s love for the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik and this book, while ending on a gut-wrenching note, did not disappoint. Because we all enjoy this series, we listened to it together in the car. Laurence continues to be a steadfast man of honor and I enjoy the way he negotiates through life as an aviator, dealing with prejudices and less-than-honorable politics.
Temeraire the dragon is a source of joy, and the interactions between dragon and Captain Laurence are always a delight.
I will note, however, that near the end of the book both my husband and I had to read ahead on our own because we needed to know what was going to happen. There is a distressing situation that crops up, and in fact my husband – traitor that he is – snagged the next book to read without me.
(Note: He did this without telling me, which is why he gets an extra special glare.)
As to the novel itself, I find Novik’s narrative fluid and comfortable, easy to both listen to and read. I enjoy the moral pickles she puts her characters into, and the heroic means in which they meet such challenges. This series continues to be a joy to read and the cats in our house have all been honored with dragon names because of them.
AJMaguire 